This invention pertains to electric-arc cutting and welding torches and in particular, electric-arc cutting and welding torches for use in underwater environments. Torches for use underwater find utility in salvaging sunken vessels, repairing floating vessels such as ships, barges, and the like; and in construction, and maintenance of fixed structures such as bridges, seawalls, piers, oil drilling platforms, and the like.
Conventional underwater torches are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,396,307; 2,417,650; 3,462,463; and 3,751,625. The last named patent illustrates an underwater torch that has found acceptance in the trade.
All of the foregoing torches were developed for use with the conventional underwater cutting technique employing a tubular electrode and oxygen gas. In the conventional underwater cutting technique an arc is struck between the piece being cut and the electrode, and oxygen gas is forced down through the bore of the electrode to achieve the chemical cutting action under the influence of the arc.
Such torches require auxiliary sources of oxygen which are usually maintained on the diving support ship and piped to the torch via long lengths of hose.